Thank you for the input from the Irish Hill Neighborhood Association. The attached letter with concerns and opposition to the proposal have been made part of the record on file for the case. The application has currently been through a pre-application review but has not moved from that stage. The applicant is required to have a neighborhood meeting prior to formally filing for the case. Once the case has been formally filed, it will be reviewed by all required agencies. When the application has been deemed sufficient to docket, it will be docketed for public meeting before the Land Development and Transportation Committee. This public meeting will require notice to all individuals from the neighborhood meeting, 1st and 2nd tier property owners as well as interested parties signed up for notification within our email notification system linked below my email signature. At the committee meeting, a public hearing date will be set for the Planning Commission and noticed following the same required notice as LD&T. The Planning Commission, following the public hearing, will make a recommendation to the Metro Council. Metro Council will have the final decision in the rezoning process. I have also attached below a link to our citizen user guide to help outline the steps of the rezoning process and how/when to get involved. Please let me know if you have any additional questions or need further assistance. Thanks.

Many neighbors have been interested in the status of the restaurant property located at 1201 Payne St. Earlier this month, the Irish Hill Neighborhood Association BOD drafted and approved a letter to Louisville Metro Planning and Design regarding the application for a zoning change that was filed by the property owners.

The letter was sent, and a reply was received and is a part of the case file, which is under review. (The reply can be found here.)

Mr. Brown,
The Irish Hill Neighborhood Association (IHNA) has been made aware of an application for a zoning change by the owners of 1201 Payne St. through media coverage. The zoning change request is from R-6 with non-conforming use permit to C-2 to allow a restaurant.
IHNA does not support this zoning change. We have been in contact and working with the new owners for almost a year now. We agreed to the existing 2am alcohol license as long as they did not increase the capacity, even though Robert Kirchdorfer had suggested that a 12am license was more appropriate for the neighborhood based on comments and concerns he had received from neighbors and IHNA.

For many, many years a restaurant has ran a neighborhood friendly establishment and operated within the current zoning and the non-conforming use permit. IHNA sees no need for the zoning to change. The change to C-2 will negatively impact the neighborhood and any future business that fits that zoning classification can locate there once it is changed. The R-6 zoning allows the neighbors and IHNA to work with any future owners on a case-to-case basis.

The Irish Hill Neighborhood Association seeks to preserve and protect our residential core from any re-zoning. Our Neighborhood Plan, as adopted into Cornerstone 2020, clearly states the following goals:

Encourage a complementary mix of residential and commercial uses but also provide for effective separation of uses to reduce encroachment and conflict. Enforce existing zoning designations, and change zoning where appropriate. Prevent the expansion uses incompatible with the neighborhood. Support and reinforce the neighborhood residential character.

Please let us know how we can best address our concern and disapproval for the re-zoning. IHNA would also like to know what meetings will be required and the dates for the re-zoning to occur, so that we may attend and voice our concern.

Louisville Metro Parks invites the public to participate in two upcoming focus group workshops for the Ohio River Valley Northeast segment of the Louisville Loop project. The purpose of this project is to determine the best route for the Louisville Loop between the City of Prospect and the Big Four Bridge. Two working sessions are being held on February 10. An afternoon session will be held from 2:00-4:00 pm and an evening session will be held from 6:00-8:00 pm. Both sessions will take place at Locust Grove, , 561 Blankenbaker Lane, Louisville, KY 40207. These working session provide an opportunity for residents to meet with project planners to discuss potential routes and concerns. Both sessions are open to the public. For more information about the project, please visit the project website at www.linkingtheloop.wordpress.com .

Kevin Jaggers from Alltrade attended the last Irish Hill Neighborhood Association Meeting to notify the neighborhood of changes to their plan for the properties at 611- 617 Baxter Avenue. He stated that the changes stem from outgrowing the property and having a need for a larger and different space to accommodate their business. They plan to move their offices to Paris Point at Broadway and Barrett.

Please see below for the original plan and the planned changes to the property. Renderings are included as PDF files, which can be saved to your computer or opened in your browser.

Irish Hill Neighborhood Association is interested in your feedback. We welcome your comments, concerns and feedback. Please post a comment in the space provided below, or send an email to info@irishhillneighbors.org regarding these properties.

Original Plan from Alltrade at 611-617 Baxter Avenue – Mix of residential and office space as of February 6, 2014:

Here is some historical background: The properties were rezoned from R-6 Residential to C-1 Commercial. 611 Baxter would continue to be used as a residential space. 613 Baxter (the house that burned) was to be demolished and rebuilt as two residences and the rest as office space. 615 & 617 Baxter Avenue would be used as Alltrade Office space. An additional building was to be erected in the rear of 611-613-615 and used as garage / office / storage.

Here is information on the new plan: 611 Baxter & 617 Baxter will continue to be rental properties. 611 residential and 617 Baxter office space – currently law office. 613 Baxter is the property with the home that recently burned and is currently vacant. 615 Baxter would be demolished in order to build a new structure. “Baxter Flats” would be erected to house 10 rental units on the upper floors, ranging from 2-3 bedroom apartments and rent would range from $800 – $1200 per Mr. Jaggers. There would be 2000 sq feet of commercial property on the ground floor. Parking will have 19 spaces in the back. They are proposing pervious landscape.

Again, your comments are welcome and can be posted below or emailed to info@irishhillneighbors.org. All comments will be reviewed and taken into consideration. Comments should be respectful and “PG.” In addition, you are welcome to share this post with others who might have an interest in this project.

The Irish Hill Neighborhood Association depends upon you, its members, to make it effective. Be a part of all the positive developments in Irish Hill by joining or renewing your membership to the Neighborhood Association.

Membership dues are only $5 household/$20 business per calendar year (January 1st through December 31st). Per our By-Laws, you must be a member by July 31st in order to vote for the Board of Directors or sit on the Board of Directors. Members starting after June 30th in any year can still vote on any other matter when the occasion is needed.

Here ye, here ye. We have news from On the Hill. There is a lot of information in here including opportunities for Association members and all residents of Irish Hill to provide input on some new development projects. We are also have information about the Vacant Property Task Force we are putting together.

The Irish Hill Neighborhood Association depends upon you, its members, to make it effective. Be a part of all the positive developments in Irish Hill by joining or renewing your membership to the Neighborhood Association.
Membership dues are only $5 household/$20 business per calendar year (January 1st through December 31st). Per our By-Laws, you must be a member by June 30th in order to vote for the Board of Directors or sit on the Board of Directors.

Speaking of combined sewer and storm drains, Metro Parks received a MSD grant for tree planting in parks that lie within the area of the city served by combined sewers. Two of those parks were Breslin and Irish Hill Parks. Metro Parks selected, sited and planted the new trees which they will water for 3 years. As a bonus, Metro Parks will assume watering responsibility for the oaks and maple that IHNA and Brightside had planted last year.

In Breslin, we have new dogwoods, a sawtooth oak, a scarlet oak, a sugar maple, witch hazels, serviceberries and a tree lilac. In Irish Hill, we received (12) dogwoods and (3) sawtooth oaks. Thanks to MSD for recognizing the benefit of using trees to reduce stormwater runoff and thanks to Metro Parks for managing the design, installation and maintenance of our new plantings.

You probably do a lot of things to help clean up our environment. This month, we’ll tell you about some other little known environmental issues right in your neighborhood. And we’ll tell you why it is a good thing to reduce stormwater pollution.

When we say ‘stormwater,’ we just mean rain or snow. Stormwater pollution is bad news for our Beargrass Creek. It’s not only the pollutants that the stormwater picks up that are problematic, but it’s also the water itself. In Irish Hill, we have combined sewer and storm drains, so a big rain storm can overflow the system and cause sewage to be released into the creek. In the big picture, we want to do the following things.

Increase the amount of water filtering into the ground, reduce the amount of runoff and pollutants washing into our streams;

Help to improve water quality for aquatic creatures in Beargrass Creek and other local streams;

Help sustain water flow in our community’s streams during dry weather;

Reduce the chance of flooding in our community;

Help protect the banks of Beargrass Creek from the eroding effects of large volumes of water travelling at high speeds;

Reduce the necessity and cost of stormwater treatment facilities;

Provide habitat for birds, bees and butterflies;

Enhance the beauty of your property and neighborhood.

In LOVE YOUR CREEK Part II, we’ll talk about simple things that you can do to help, brought to us by Beargrass Creek Alliance,www.beargrasscreek.org